Good morning, friends. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and got your fill of delicious food.
As if all of us haven't already had enough sugary holiday goodness, how about a new recipe?
I've been on a cupcake kick lately. And since it's the holiday season, I've especially had fun with some new festive holiday cupcakes.
My latest inspiration was apple pie. The perfect holiday dessert, valid for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Imagine that delicious apple pie filling in a fluffy vanilla cupcake. Yum!
These cupcakes are so light and fluffy and amazing! And they're the perfect transitional dessert from Thanksgiving into Christmas. A holiday apple pie wrapped up into a delicious little cupcake package.
Keeping this write-up short and sweet and just jumping into the good stuff you're here for. Wishing you and your's a happy holiday season!
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~ Ingredients ~
(Makes 12)
Cupcakes
1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. vegetable oil
½ c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
Apple Pie Filling
3 red apples¼ c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
¼ c. water
1 tsp. corn starch
Spiced Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz. cream cheese brought to room temperature
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pecans
4 oz. chopped pecans
1 egg white
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract
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~ Directions ~
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate larger bowl, beat together sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and beat well. Slowly add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners. Divide batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Recommend leaving the cupcakes in the refrigerator for a little while after removing them from the oven so they're chilled for icing.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate larger bowl, beat together sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and beat well. Slowly add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners. Divide batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
While the cupcakes are baking, make the apple pie filling. Peel and core the apples and chop into small pieces. In a large bowl, toss the apples in the lemon juice. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until apples are evenly coated.
Move the apple mixture to a large skillet and add the water and corn starch. Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir until the apples are tender and the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Remove to a bowl and allow to cool completely.
To make the icing, in one bowl whip together the cream cheese, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and sugar until soft peaks form (about 3 minutes). Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream mixture and whip together until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Move the apple mixture to a large skillet and add the water and corn starch. Cook on medium-high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir until the apples are tender and the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Remove to a bowl and allow to cool completely.
To make the icing, in one bowl whip together the cream cheese, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and sugar until soft peaks form (about 3 minutes). Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream mixture and whip together until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the pecans, toss all the ingredients together in a bowl. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the pecans across the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes in oven preheated to 300°. Flip the pecans half-way through. Allow to cool completely before topping the cupcakes.
Once cupcakes are cool/chilled, use an apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Scoop a bit of the apple pie filling into the center of each. You won't use all the apple pie mixture, so I recommend you package that up for later to top some vanilla ice cream.
Pipe icing over each cupcake and top with brown sugar cinnamon pecans.
